An elderly Dalit man was reportedly compelled to lick the ground near a temple on the outskirts of Lucknow during Diwali after being accused of urinating there, according to police reports. The 60-year-old’s grandson stated that his grandfather suffers from breathing difficulties and had urinated accidentally while coughing. The alleged incident took place around 7 pm on Monday, and the accused has asserted that the Dalit man was merely forced to touch the ground. This incident sparked a political controversy, with opposition parties targeting the BJP. The complainant, Rampal Rawat, explained, “I was drinking water at Sheetla Maataa Mandir in the Kakori area of Lucknow when Swami Kant accused me of urinating.
I insisted that I had not urinated and that water had spilled there. However, he (Pammu) did not back down, hurled casteist insults at me, and forced me to lick it.” When PTI reached out, Mukesh Kumar, Rampal Rawat’s grandson, shared, “My grandfather has breathing issues. Without his prescribed medications, he could be in serious danger. He started coughing yesterday evening and accidentally urinated. Following this, Pammu arrived and began shouting casteist slurs at him.” Mukesh Kumar indicated that his grandfather was frightened and complied when told to lick the ground. Afterward, the accused made Rampal clean the area.
“My grandfather didn’t inform anyone about the incident that night but recounted it today, leading us to file a police report,” he added. Mukesh Kumar noted that the main temple was at least 40 meters away from where his grandfather had inadvertently urinated. A case was filed against Swami Kant under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace), as well as under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. When asked if the Dalit man was indeed made to lick urine, a police source told PTI, “This is an ongoing investigation.
The victim claims he was forced to lick the ground, while the accused maintains that he was only made to touch it. A case has been registered against the accused, who has been arrested.” In response, opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh criticized the BJP government, calling the incident a “blot on humanity.” Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav remarked in a Hindi post on X, “One’s mistake does not warrant cruel and humiliating punishment. Change is the only way forward!” The Congress party also commented on X, stating, “In Lucknow, an RSS member forced an elderly Dalit man to lick his urine. The elderly man was seated in the temple courtyard when, due to illness, he accidentally urinated.”
